Welcome to the Routine Rewind series on the Diamond Dolls blog!

We will be taking a look back at some of our past routines and giving them a historical and cultural context covering things from song inspirations, artist highlights, discussing the origins of the dance styles, and more. Join us on the first of every month right here to follow this new series.

This month we are taking a look back at our routine “Peppermint Twist” choreographed by Melissa Mullins and Delilah Williams.

The Musical Inspiration: Joey Dee and the Starliters

Joey Dee and the Starliters started out as an instrumental band back around 1953-1955, and eventually evolved to include vocals by Joey Dee, David Brigati, and Rogers Freeman. Their first single was “Lorraine” which Joey Dee wrote in 1958 about a girl he used to walk to school with. The band credits their break to The Shirelles, who secured them a deal with Scepter records. In 1960 they released “Face of an Angel” with The Shirelles singing back up to David Brigati as lead vocals. They gained a following at Oliveri’s in New Jersey, and one night were spotted by agent Don Davis who offered them a one time weekend gig in New York City at the Peppermint Lounge. They made such a splash that the house band was told to take a hike, and Joey Dee and The Starliters ended up playing there for 13 months.

Image Source: https://jasmine-records.co.uk/gb/pop/3370-joey-dee-the-starliters-peppermint-twistin.html

The Peppermint Lounge, also called The Pep, was a small gay bar off of 45th street, which ended up blowing up in popularity after Joey Dee and The Starliters released their 1961 hit “The Peppermint Twist”. This song was written as a tribute to the Peppermint Lounge, and it ended up hitting #1 on the charts. Joey Dee also filmed a movie at the lounge (turned pizza parlor for the film) in 1962. The combined attention of a great hit, a feature movie, and visits from various celebrities caused The Pep to sometimes be so busy that there were police barricades and lines around the block to get in (after all their capacity was only 174 people)!

Because of The Shirelles helping the band get their break back in 1960, Joey Dee wanted to pay it forward. He helped multiple artists through the years including The Ronettes and The Rascals.

The Dance Craze: The Twist

Image Source: Image from https://hookedoneverything.com/chubby-checker/

The Twist rose to popularity when Chubby Checker performed his cover of “The Twist” on the “Dick Clark Show” in 1960. While Chubby Checker was the artist who made this dance a national craze, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters were the original artists to record the song. Their version of “The Twist” was originally released in 1958.

According to the Philadelphia Encyclopedia, “while Hank Ballard is credited as the songwriter, the song’s origins are in gospel and rhythm and blues. Gospel singer and guitarist Joseph “Jo Jo” Wallace (b. 1926) had the original idea for a song with the lyrics “Come on baby, let’s do the twist” based on a dance he remembered his sister doing as a child in his native North Carolina. Wallace was a member of the Sensational Nightingales, one of several popular gospel groups based in Philadelphia in the mid-twentieth century whose members had migrated from the South. Wallace and another member of the group, Bill Woodruff (Willie George Woodruff, c. 1929–95), developed the song, but they did not consider it appropriate for their gospel group, and in the mid-1950s they began shopping it to rhythm and blues artists. One was Philadelphia singer Little Joe Cook (1922–2014) of Little Joe & The Thrillers. Cook made a demo recording of “The Twist,” but his record company opted not to record it. Sometime around 1957, the Sensational Nightingales offered the song to Hank Ballard and the Midnighters while both groups were staying at the same hotel in Tampa, Florida. Ballard and guitarist Cal Green (1937–2004) rearranged the song into a twelve-bar blues and the group recorded it in November 1959 for their record label, King Records, based in Cincinnati, Ohio.”

Hank Ballard and the Midnighters included explicit lyrics in their songs, and many thought of their band as taboo. So, Dick Clark contacted a Philadelphia label to see if they would do a cover. The label Cameo/Parkway found Chubby Checker. The Philadelphia Encyclopedia recounts that “While both Ballard and Checker were African American, the taste-makers at American Bandstand and Cameo Parkway considered Checker—young, cheerful, and wholesome looking—more palatable for a broader audience than Ballard.” After Chubby Checker performed “The Twist” on Dick Clark’s show, the single quickly reached number 1 on the charts. It even hit number 1 a second time, making it the second song in history to be at number 1 twice.

The Twist also became so popular because it is so easy to do, and the fact that it was done solo. Prior to this most dancing was partner dancing, where you held hands with another person. All ya gotta do is twist your hips and add your own flavor! The movement is similar to stamping out a cigarette. The Twist inspired other dance crazes such as the Swim, the Funky Chicken, and the Mashed Potato!

American Bandstand

American Bandstand was an iconic TV show that allowed artists of varying musical genres to showcase their songs. It originally aired locally in Philadelphia in 1952, but blossomed in popularity when it started broadcasting nationally in 1957 from Philadelphia. It ran all the way to 1989, having a 32-year run. In the 60’s it’s broadcasts brought about many national dance crazes, including The Twist.

While American Bandstand featured many Black artists, and Dick Clark claims that it was integrated in the late 50’s, representation from Black teenagers on the show was virtually non existent. According to Nicest Kids in Town, “while several black teenagers attended Bandstand in the show’s first two years as a local program (1952-53), the program soon adopted admission policies that, while not explicitly whites only, had the effect of discriminating against black teenagers.” In October 1957, a group of Black teens from a Bobby Brooke fan club attempted to get tickets to see him live on the show. They wrote in requesting tickets, but when there was no reply, they decided to go early and wait at the door. According to American Bandstand, they allowed people in on a first come first serve basis. However, even though they were there early, the door person continually let in white people and did not allow them to enter. After pleading with the guard for over an hour, his mind was finally changed after a reporter showed up from the Philadelphia Tribune and asked to speak with the station manager. While the door guard did acquiesce and let them in, he used racial slurs. Once inside, Booker recounted that there were no tensions around the other teenagers attending because they were all peers and friends that grew up together.

Image Source: http://nicestkids.com/nehvectors/nicest-kids/remembering-american-bandstand-forgetting-segregation

According to an anonymous source from 1958 in the New York Post, “practice [to admit] only eight or nine” black teenagers per day, “and not to focus the camera on them.”, and another source was quoted stating “‘we are instructed to screen all applicants to the show by their last names…we select people whose last names sound Italian, Jewish, or foreign…less chance of picking Negroes that way.’” (Nicest Kids in Town). Even the regular white teen dancers recounted that the show was very white and that they saw mainly people who were not white turned away. From 1957 to 1964, out of all published photographs from the show in that time, there are only two pictures that include any Black teenagers. Both of which was a pair of girls sitting on the bleachers.

American Bandstand wasn’t the only dance program airing during those years. Some other shows were The Buddy Deane Show, Soul Train, and The Mitch Thomas Show. These shows inspired the creator of the musical Hairspray. While The Corny Collins Show is fictional, it was based off of Buddy Deane’s Baltimore based program. The storyline of Hairspray revolved around integrating a dance show, this however never happened on The Buddy Deane Show. Buddy has spoken about the segregation of the show saying that while “the people behind the show wanted to integrate but "the management of the station did not realize that Baltimore was very much a Southern-oriented city," Deane said in a 2002 interview with The Associated Press, according to NYT. The outlet reported that Deane said the show's dancers were asked "what they thought about integration, and they said, 'Well, it's OK with me, but my folks won't be happy.' That was the general consensus."” (Bustle)

The Mitch Thomas Show

Image Source: http://nicestkids.com/nehvectors/nicest-kids/mitch-thomas-television-pioneer?fbclid=IwAR2D7RblbdaQKNXa7EPn5-wGygJKt3YZDTRw_Fn6y90Nor2FfkbTCrEwEf8

While all the other popular dance programs at the time featured Black artists with white teenage audiences, The Mitch Thomas Show showcased not only Black performers, but also a Black audience. The Mitch Thomas Show greatly influenced American Bandstand in its first couple of years as a national broadcast through cultural appropriation. “Dances seen on Bandstand were often picked up at school dances or local dance hops and brought back to the show where they were presented by mostly white adolescents. In fact, many dances derived from The Mitch Thomas Show, the popular all-black teen show in Philadelphia, from which they were copied by white teens and then seen on Bandstand.” (Philly Jazz)

Image Source: https://southernspaces.org/2015/dancing-around-glaring-light-television-black-teen-dance-shows-south/

The show aired from 1955 to 1958. Both Bandstand and The Mitch Thomas Show were produced in Philadelphia. While it’s time on the air was short lived, it provided local Black teens a space where they belonged and could attend freely. While Dick Clark claimed integration in the late 50’s early 60’s, Mitch held stage shows and small record hops outside of his normal show that were racially integrated.

Sadly, there are no known videos from Mitch’s broadcasts, but we were able to find a few photos. If anyone knows of videos feel free to reach out to us!

Image Source: Photo by Swing Nights Denver

Interested in seeing The Diamond Dolls twist about to Joey Dee and the Starliters song Peppermint Twist? Check us out here! And if you’d like to join us and boogie, our next virtual session starts May 4th! Join us for 90’s with Lark and Lindsay, to Ain’t Never Gonna Give You Up by the one and only Paula Abdul!